Loose Ends
by wrytingtyme
Summary: Tritter is still being a jerk, Cuddy takes care of him once and for all. DramaHumor Rated T for violence, some language some adultish themes. Cuddy, House Wilson Cuddy Freindship, maybe huddy or wuddy if you squint.
1. Chapter 1: sometimes the guy

**Title: Loose Ends**

**Chapter one: Sometimes the Guy Breaking into your ****h****ouse isn't your friend. **

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own them either. Damn.

**Description:**Tritter shows up to throw some petty harassment Cuddy's way. She shows him why you don't mess with The Dean.

A/N setting is late S3, Rated T for violence and some language, vaguely pre-Human Error. Cuddy, House, Wilson and everyone else, the reason for this story is that I was never happy with how the Tritter arc resolved. Cuddy perjures herself and House gets away and Tritter says "gee shucks" and gives up? Reviews are love and Concrit and pointing out errors (as I don't have a beta reader yet) are doubly so.

:::::::::::::::::Part One:::::::::::

Her eyes flicked open. The room was dark and she didn't know what had woken her. The clock face glowed pale blue at her, insisting that it was 2:30am and that she should still be sleeping. She groaned and buried her face in her pillow. She liked sleep, but didn't always get a lot of it. _You wanted to be a doctor, you wanted to be the best_, she chided herself. _You knew it would eat into nap time. _She growled low and banished the voice to the back of her mind.

The slow groan of the living room shutters being pulled open told her what had woken her; _someone is breaking in, again. _Lisa Cuddy sighed deeply, pushing back the covers and slipping quietly out of her bed. House loved to keep her off balance, and lately he'd been taking it to new extremes, interrupting her dates, showing up at all hours in, what she could only assume, was a twisted attempt to monitor her sex life. _Like I'm ever gonna have one of those again,_ she thought morosely. She padded down the hall to the living room, it wouldn't be hard to catch him, he'd have to go slow with his bum leg and the cane.

She paused a moment, outside the room listening to the light rustle of movement.

"Breaking and entering without a medical motive, that's a stretch even for you—" she flicked the overhead light on, and stared in shock at the two men in dark clothing who were blinking through their ski masks at the sudden glare.

"Who the hell are you?" She demanded. They were both around six feet tall but heavily built. They were both staring at her like landed trout and they were standing between her and the door _and the phone_ her inner voice pointed out urgently _go!_

She turned and ran, feeling the adrenalin hit her heart like a hammer and being happy about it, noting distantly that even after millions of years of evolution the flight or flight response was still damn useful.She skidded running into the French doors in her bedroom, but they led to the patio, _Nope, walls are too high, the window_. She lunged to the other side of the room even as the two men burst in behind her, she could hear them hissing urgently to each other but she didn't pay attention, all her focus was on escape. She slammed the latch with her palm and heaved upwards on the sash with all her own strength and the extra oomph from the adrenaline.

The sash didn't budge.

She felt a hand swat hard at her arm and she spun slamming into the dresser facing the figure in black, it spoke harshly "Don't—"

Her hand grazed the dresser top clutching the first thing it touched. She threw it at the man who'd tried to grab her with all her might. White talcum powder exploded all over him

"Bitch!' He sounded surprised

"Man put her down!" the other figure hissed.

Cuddy scrabbled backwards but there was nowhere to go, a hard hand grabbed her throat and a harder fist slammed into her face,

and again,

and again,

when the darkness swept up she was grateful.

The pain woke her, she was lying on the floor in the dark and she hurt, oh god it hurt---

_Yeah, and? What hurts, you're a doctor, remember?_

When she was working she always seemed to hear the voice of the medical student who'd run her human anatomy lab section in college. He'd been thorough, precise, focused, clinical, brutal and rude. She'd learned more about how to think in that lab then in any other class she'd had, and years later, it was still _that _voice in her head when the problems got knotty or painful, throwing out insults and advice.

Of course most days she heard it with her ears too.

She took a breath. Willing her mind to focus and pushing everything else aside. The breath hurt for one thing. Sharp, stabbing

_Broken rib, we'll get back to it. Start at the bottom. _

Feet and legs felt ok. She gently pressed her hands against her hips. Left Hip had sharp soreness probably from hitting the edge of the dresser, _Superficial, next?_

She was still wearing her pajama bottoms; there was no pain from the vagina or rectum.

_You weren't raped, mazeltov, what about that ribcage?_

She ran her hands over her ribs, pressing gently, bruising and maybe a cracked rib. Breath was shallow, deep breath possible but painful. She coughed deliberately forcing air deep into her lungs. It hurt like hell

_Must have kicked you when you were down. Get an x-ray later. Keep going we're getting to the good stuff. _

Arms and hands were scraped and sore, upper chest seemed fine, The neck, she was very careful here, exploring gently with her fingers, knowing that she was going to have a black ring of finger prints around her neck for the next couple of days.

_There doesn't appear to be serious trauma. Spine seems ok, X-ray that too though and a CT. _

The jaw hurt like hell. Not dislocated but badly bruised along the maxilla up to the zygomatic arch and the occipital bone the whole left side of her face was a huge painful throb.

_The asshole was a right hander._

No blood in her mouth, she ran her tongue over her teeth but nothing seemed loose. Her nose was tender and bloody but, she massaged the cartilage gently, not broken. She ran her hands over her head but didn't feel any lumps, bumps or breaks in her scalp.

_You're going to look like a poster child for battered wife syndrome but you'll live. Call the cops and an ambulance._

Struggling to her feet she flicked on the lights. and tried not to cry at the devastation. Her mattress had been torn from the bed. Her jewelry box was lying empty on the floor, her clothes had been tossed out of her dresser and lay scattered everywhere covered in talcum powder residue.

_That was a stupid thing to throw_.

_Shut up House_. She thought at the voice as she hobbled to the phone and dialed 911.The clock from her bedside table claimed it was 3:30am.

She turned on lights, pulled on sweats, very carefully, and went to her living room to wait. This was harder than normal to do without the TV, computer or stereo for company.

At 4am she called 911 back.

At 5:30 her phone rang.

"Dr. Cuddy." The voice was familiar deep gravelly and very smug. "I hear you've been phoning in false reports to the 911 operator."

"Detective Tritter," She said numbly, closing her eyes.

_This just keeps getting better and better. _

"Dr. Cuddy the last time I saw you, you lied under oath, now a person who is willing to lie under oath is like… the little girl who cried wolf. How can you believe a word she says?"

Cuddy hung up the phone abruptly, buried her sore face in her hands and started to cry


	2. Chapter 2 Knight Time

**Title: Loose Ends**

**Chapter ****two**** Knight Time**

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own them either. Damn.

**Description:**Tritter shows up to throw some petty harassment Cuddy's way. She shows him why you don't mess with The Dean.

Chapter two

"Dr. James Wilson." A sleepy voice growled into her ear. "It's not even 6am yet and if this is House… I gonna kill," a huge yawn "you."

"Wilson, it's me."

"Cuddy?" His voice went wide awake and she heard him sit up. She never called her staff in off shift for anything less than a life or death emergency. "What's up?"

"Uh…" She stammered helpless.

"Cuddy?"

She took a shaky breath and held it, it was so _damned hard _to ask for help, personal help, help for _her_. James Wilson was someone she considered a friend, more than that he'd been an ally on the board ever since he'd been appointed, they'd been comrades-in-arms, and not just in support of the head of diagnostics. She didn't want to tell him that she'd just gotten beat up, burglarized and needed a ride to the ER.

And she _really_ didn't want to tell him that Detective Tritter seemed focused on them, again.

"You're freaking me out."

"I'm sorry, it's —"She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window glass and winced looking away.

"_Tell me what's going on!_"

She couldn't see him but she thought she could hear his knuckles cracking the plastic handset on the phone.

"I really need a ride to the… uh… ER. It's Tr-tritter." And then the words were flying out in a rush. "They broke in and then I thought it was House but it wasn't and they... and I called the p-p-police and Tritter…"

"W_hat_? Cuddy you aren't making any sense." His voice was calm and even almost warm. The voice he used on patients who said they preferred death to baldness. It worked too. "Detective Tritter what?"

"Ac-cused me of making false 911 calls, it's so _stupid," _she sobbed tears spilling at last "God Damn it I'm NOT crying."

"Yeah, it sounds like you aren't doing that. Look, Cuddy, I'm not sure what's going on but I'm on my way." He said simply and hung up.

xoxoxoxo

"Brenda, its Lisa I'm not going to be in today---My house got broken into last night. I'll probably be back tomorrow. "She leaned the left side of her face into a dishtowel filled with ice as she spoke into Nurse Preven's voicemail. She'd been leaving countless messages since Wilson had hung up making sure everyone knew that they couldn't call her for help today and who was in charge of what. The work had calmed her down, work always did. She'd even managed to stop the water works, "Don't call me unless it's an emergency. I'm defining an emergency as fire, flood, and/or gunplay; unless they come from diagnostics then just leave a message on my service."

She hung up, thought a moment and re-dialed the same number. "Oh and Dr. House is working in the clinic from 3-5, make sure he doesn't just see patients during commercials, also let me know if he doesn't show up," She heard the doorbell and spoke faster, "because if he misses clinic duty today I'm going to find him tomorrow, rip his heart out and shove it up his rectum so it can be close to his brain. Feel free to forward this to him."

She clicked the phone off and dropped it hissing as her ribs protested the whole standing up and moving around thing.

The porch light revealed a worried Wilson standing in the pre-dawn gloom with bed head and no tie. She opened the door for him warily, she'd been avoiding mirrors on general principal but she knew she looked… dramatic.

"Holy hell," Wilson said after a moment of just staring at her.

He blurred as her eyes filled with tears again.

"It's good to see you too, Wilson."


	3. Chapter 3 The Grapevine

**Title: Loose Ends**

**Chapter Three: The Grapevine. **

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own them either. Damn.

**Description: **Tritter shows up to throw some petty harassment Cuddy's way. She shows him why you don't mess with The Dean.

Part three

Why is today good?" House asked his minions idly. "Why is it better, why is life brighter, why is—"

"You're back on the anti-depressants." Cameron commented without looking up from the journal she was reading.

"Nope," House leaned against a bookshelf in the conference room "the ray of sunshine you see lighting me up is not chemically induced," He paused a moment, "except maybe the vicodin, but that doesn't count."

"Were doing a differential on your mood now?" Foreman sighed. He was looking at his watch as if staring at it could make the two weeks he had left in the diagnostics department go faster.

"Cuddy isn't here today." Chase said as he erased something from his crossword. "Her house got broken into."

"And Dr. Gossip has the low down" House pointed his cane at the younger man. "We are boss free people."

The fellows exchanged sad eyebrow raises with each other.

"Aww, you've got a point, only I'm boss free." The grin he shot them was malicious.

"It's not funny;" Cameron said "Having your home burglarized is very traumatic. It's a violation—"

"It's a blessing! It gets the Wicked Witch of the Clinic out of my hair. No paperwork, no budgets, no patients…."

"I also heard that Cuddy told Brenda to tell you that if you didn't do your clinic duty today she was going to chop off your leg, your _lef_t leg, or was it your left testicle?" Chase smirked at his crossword.

"You suck at telephone."

"And the other gossip is that Detective Tritter was in her office first thing this morning." Chase continued offhandedly.

There was a fraught silence. When Chase finally responded to it by looking up at his boss he winced, and wished he'd kept his mouth shut.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Good Morning Nurse Preven."

Brenda Preven blanched. She'd been the head nurse at Princeton-Plainsboro for five years and she and Dr. Cuddy had an understanding. Brenda wouldn't quit and Dr. Cuddy would deal with His Gimpness. Only now Cuddy wasn't here and His Gimpness was. Brenda glared up at him trying to hide her despair in a show of aggression.

"You get Dr. Cuddy's message?"

"No, I got your message, " House leaned the handle of his cane on the counter and attempted to loom at Brenda, leaning as close to her as he could get. "And there were a couple of things I, DOCTOR House wanted to point out—"

"Talk to the Dean when she does your cardiac relocation tomorrow. I'm not covering for you." Brenda started throwing files in the cabinet.

"I'm not surprised by that." He reached into his pocket and automatically extracted and ingested a vicodin. "What does surprises me is that you aren't covering for her. I mean I know you're only a nurse,"

Brenda closed her eyes and started counting under her breath.

"But as head of the hospitals spy network, a certain amount of loyalty to the boss is expected."

"Bite—"

"What was Tritter doing here?"

"Why can't you just ask a simple question?"

"I just did."

"Detective Tritter, who works for_ Princeton PD,_ showed up first thing this morning asking for Dr. Cuddy, I told him she was taking the day off because of the burglary."

"You told him about that? Nice."

"Detective Tritter, who works for the Po-lice Dep-art-ment." Brenda enunciated the words slowly earning her a scalpel edged glare. "Sometimes; they look for people like burglars, who Dr. Cuddy might have met last night."

"I get it; she calls 911 the cops show up at her house last night, the asshole shows up at her office this morning. Ya cudda just said---"

And then Brenda Preven met his eyes, which she rarely did. "Or they don't."

House looked away first. He lifted his cane gently and bounced the rubber tip on the floor a couple of times.

Thump, thump

"They don't."

Thump, thump

Tritter, evil, grudge bearing, Tritter,

Thump, Thump

Cuddy had skunked him.

Thump, thump

Not the _only_ cop in Princeton.

Thump, thump

Cops and Nurses,

Thump, thump.

_They don't._

XXXXX

**A/N** I'm not sure what Brenda's real position is, but we see her and Cuddy interacting enough to make me think that if she isn't Head Nurse she deserves a promotion. Also I'd like to thank all the people who have taken time to post reviews. I really appreciate it.


	4. Chapter 4 Waiting Room

**Title: Loose Ends**

**Chapter Four: ****Waiting Room**

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own them either. Damn.

**Description: **Tritter shows up to throw some petty harassment Cuddy's way. She shows him why you don't mess with The Dean.

Chapter Four

**St. Clare's Medical Center: Trenton NJ**.

"Do you know why there are no comfortable chairs in emergency rooms?"

James Wilson, who'd been managing to doze in the uncomfortable chair he'd curled up in jumped.

"House," He groaned "How did you know I was here---" Wilson rubbed his eyes and glared "What, exactly, do you know? "

House had taken a chair next to his friend leaned forward and placed his chin on the handle of his cane, his bright blue eyes sweeping over the busy room. "The reason is that they need to make sure you're here for a reason, sure you can come in to get out of the cold." His eyes lingered on a group of silent disheveled men across the room who were probably doing just that. "Get a free cup of coffee, but don't let the sun set on you here."

"You're making that up."

House blinked and shot a rare half smile at Wilson. "Yeah, I am."

Wilson didn't respond. He just stretched and tossed another disgruntled look at his friend as his fatigue slowly receded. Then his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

"I don't care!" House said quickly reading Wilsons mind like an X-ray.

"Oh my god, I _knew _it."

"You don't _know_ anything."

"Yeah, right you're in a hospital, you hate hospitals, in Trenton, you hate Trenton, because you found out… hey how the hell did you find out?"

House was busy people watching again, avoiding Wilson's gaze with the ease of long practice.

"No one knows that I'm here. I called in sick and had my assistant reschedule my appointments. I know Cuddy didn't tell anyone because she threatened me with vivisection if _I _did." Wilson narrowed his eyes at House his mind working fast.

"You're the one who can't admit you like her." House told Wilson coldly. "That's your pathology."

"Uh-huh, so why are you here then?" Wilson challenged. "And how did you know where to go. This isn't even a good hospital…" The people sitting nearest them turned to look at Wilson, who shut up abruptly and sank lower into his seat.

That got him another half-smile "don't keep your opinion to yourself Dr. Wilson," House boomed "tell us what you think of St. Cares." Wilson just glared at him. "You want to know what I know, Fine." House rapped his cane on the floor three times before setting his chin back on the handle. "I know that Cuddy got robbed, I'm sure she interrupted them, which was stupid, and got her ample ass kicked for it."

"Yeah," Wilson's dark brown eyes flashed. "If she hadn't automatically jumped to the conclusion that the person breaking in was a psychotic employee stalker maybe she'd have been more cautious."

House didn't meet Wilsons eyes, but a muscle in his jaw twitched. "I knew that she got beat up because she called an ambulance as well as the cops I know she didn't _take_ an ambulance because a reliable source whispered that Cuddy's 911 calls didn't inspire much enthusiasm in our emergency services professionals. Well actually they did, until someone else canceled the calls."

"I _know _Cuddy didn't tell anyone else about that." Wilson hissed keeping his voice low.

"Sure she did, she told the 911 operator. Cops and Nurses sitting in a tree g-o-s-s-i-p-, " House sang softly off cadence, "should be another e or p there, oh well."

Wilson was impressed in spite of himself, "I didn't think the nurses were speaking to you."

"One time truce," Again the cane rapped on the hard linoleum "Tritter showing his ugly mug at Cuddy's office this morning was alarming enough that Brenda of the SS tipped me the wink. By the way I wouldn't think about calling 911 if I were you, apparently there's a note that Detective Tritter should be informed if that happens. " He sighed a little "I won't be calling them either."

Wilson pressed his hands over his eyes. "This is never going to go away is it?"

"Do you want me to apologize again?" House sounded bitter. Blue eyes like hard steel searching the room.

"No, I want to know why you're here." Wilson glared at House now. "Horrifying as that news is, it could have waited till tomorrow. And you still haven't told me how you figured out we were here at all."

Please," House snapped his temper obviously beginning to fray. "Give me a little credit. You call in sick the same day Cuddy gets robbed?" he thrust his chin at Wilson his blue eyes sparking "That means there are two choices A) You two are having wild hot monkey sex, which I _know_ you would brag to me about or B) She needs a ride she can trust to keep his mouth mostly shut. And that means you're doing ambulance driver duty, which means she's uncomfortable driving, broken arm or wrist. So I started calling emergency rooms in Trenton, it didn't take long."

Wilson's eyebrows went up but he kept his mouth shut.

"Since you _are_ a doctor and you didn't drag her to the first rate teaching hospital just ten minutes from her house that means whatever injuries she has aren't life threatening, since you didn't call me it means that they are also boring, since you let her badger you into driving her to a third rate bone emporium in another city, it means that it's obvious enough that she got beat up that the police will be called, no matter how hard she swears she ran into a door, and the police in Trenton are _not_ the police in Princeton."

House twirled the cane between his hands.

"She looks like she went 10 rounds with De La Hoya." Wilson confirmed. "You're wrong about the broken arm; she might have a cracked rib."

House just shrugged.

"So you drove for an hour, to come here and prove to me you figured it all out, and of course tell me you don't care, don't feel responsible—"

"I'm _not_ responsible! The bastards who beat her up are responsible, Tritter is responsible I'm an innocent—"

"Ass."

House pulled out his vicodin bottle and popped one of the pills; ostentatiously dry swallowing it in the way he knew irritated Wilson most, the practiced ease of the junky.

"Yeah that pretty much sums it up."

* * *

**A/N **St. Clare's is not, as far as I know, a real hospital in Trenton NJ, however, if it does in fact exist I'm sure it s a fine institution, no matter what some high handed specialists might say. Also updating will be less frequent during the work week because they frown on my writing fan-fic at work for some reason. Thanks again to all who have taken the time to review; it makes me feel all warm and glowy and write faster (hint hint) 


	5. Chapter 5 Off The Books

**Title: Loose Ends**

**Chapter F****ive: ****Off ****T****he ****B****ooks.**

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own them either. Damn.

**Description: **Tritter shows up to throw some petty harassment Cuddy's way. She shows him why you don't mess with The Dean.

Chapter Five

_St. Clares Hospital, Trenton NJ_. 

Exam rooms were all the same.

Lisa Cuddy sat wrapped in a paper gown; sheet pulled up to her waist and knew exactly where everything was. Which drawer the eppi was in, what cupboards hid the scopes, She'd even bet there was a clandestine booze bottle in this room. The one you pulled out for the patients who just kept slamming themselves into doors over and over.

The doctor who'd been assigned to her had been absurdly young and had the ridged glazed look she associated with coming to the end of a twenty-four hour shift. He'd looked at all the vitals that the nurses had taken, ordered the right x-rays and was out the door in less than a minute. It was an older nurse they sent in for The Talk.

"So what happened?" She asked handing over ice packs, carefully neutral. "Just a hint, don't say you ran into the door. They'll send you up to neurology."

"My house got broken into, I was home." Cuddy shrugged hissed and put the ice pack on her side. "You call the cops yet?"

"Supposed to do that right after I give you these," the nurse handed her a paper cup with two pills and another with a swallow of water. Not surprised that Cuddy knew the drill.

She swallowed them without asking what they were. She ached so intensely now she didn't really care. "Do me a favor," Cuddy looked at the Nurse who looked back shrewdly.

"When you call the cops ask for Lt. Watts, He's in public relations attached to Chief Winston's office. Tell him Lisa Cuddy is calling in a solid."

xxxxxx

"A solid?" Tom Watts was still on the right side of fifty, but grey had started to pepper his black hair and he was losing the battle of the bulge. Lean muscle being replaced by comfortable flab but he still looked like a cop. "How do you even know that term?" He was sitting on the counter in the exam room looking at the jars of swabs and tongue depressors

"Lots of kids in the hospital, I eavesdrop." Cuddy said unrepentantly. The pills were kicking in and the pain was melting into the warm distance. "You owe me a couple you know." She said assuming he remembered the times when he'd been a supervisor in vice for the Princeton PD and had needed off the books medical care for snitches and undercover cops.

"Hey, I'd help for free."

The look of disbelief on her face must have been clear even behind the bruising because he continued. "Nothing in the world would make me happier then helping you kick Tritter in that smug ass of his. But I heard what happened last time."

She only wished she could forget. "That was my fault." She admitted. "I was having my own… issues at the time." Oh yes two failed conceptions and a miscarriage, issues just about covered it. To distracted to deal with House effectively and so distressed it helped push Wilson over the edge. Cuddy rubbed her neck wearily. Debacle didn't even begin to describe how bad it had been.

"I shouldn't have let it go that far." She'd told the judge that too, of course the judge had been in on it. Cuddy had had to spend some huge favors and even some cash but it had been worth it. She'd gotten the right judge and the outcome that _she_ had wanted. Rehab, with a side of jail, she always thought House had gotten off easy. She'd have given him a year of clinic duty for walking out like that, patient or no patient.

"And if your _issues_ crop up again?"

Cuddy gave a mirthless laugh feeling the sharp emotional pain even through the fog of the narcotic. "That isn't going to happen. I'm… I've stopped trying… to do everything."

"Then I'm in."

"Tom, I have to ask, you don't think… there's no way Tritter arranged this," gestured to herself, "is there?"

"Nope, Lots of robberies around Princeton lately or so my old pals tell me, two man crew. Not usually violent but" He shrugged "it fits. Tritter," Watts' face twisted in disgust "he's an opportunist with a slice of sadism, you made him look bad, so when something comes up and he knows you're vulnerable, he rubs your face in it."

"And he expects me to just take it." The anger she felt was muted but it was there. She'd cried, in front of Wilson_, again_. Tritter was going to pay for a lot of things.

"Sure," Watts eyes twinkled "you're just a girl. Sexist doesn't begin to describe his attitude. It's practically medieval. Plus he's never seen you work a fundraiser for donations, Asshole has _no idea_ who he's dealing with."

xxxxxxx

The plan was simple. It didn't take them long to work out the details. Though Watts insisted he'd call her on them later when she wasn't stoned.

He'd had one huge reservation, "Can you control those two idiots?"

"Which two idiots?"

"The ones in the waiting room."

Cuddy's heart sank. "There's only supposed to be one."

"Sorry."

"Never mind, I'll deal with them." She took a deep breath, hissed and clutched her icepack.

"Uh huh. Can I ask a personal question?"

"I'll pay you a thousand dollars not too."

Watts held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I have to get back any way, information to gather and loopholes to exploit in the system."

"Tom," She stopped him with his hand on the doorknob. A strange reversal for her, "do you think there's any chance I'll get my stuff back?"

He shook his head "Sorry. Word is PPD is pretty sure they know em, but there's no hard evidence yet."

"Well if one of them smells like a Gardenia you've got the right guy." Watts looked at her curiously "I threw a box of scented talcum powder at him. It pretty much exploded."

"Knew there was a reason I liked you!" He winked at her and bounced out the door, happier than a cop on a supposed domestic battery call had any cause to be.

XXXXXXXXX

A/N. I want to thank all my (dear, kind, thoughtful, intelligent, compassionate, good natured, witty, etc) reviewers. Feedback isA internet vicodin! The things that gave me the idea for this fic was Cuddy's reaction to Wilson's deal in Merry Little Xmas and her Deeds in Words and Deeds. I'm pretty sure she was working out a behind the scenes deal above Tritter's head when Wilson confessed and torpedoed it. I also don't think for a minute she'd have pulled the perjury stunt if she hadn't known in advance she'd get away with it. I think House knew it too. He was awfully grim for someone who just got off.


	6. Chapter 6: Risk

**Title: Loose Ends**

**Chapter ****Six ****Risk**

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own them either. Damn.

**Description: **Tritter shows up to throw some petty harassment Cuddy's way. She shows him why you don't mess with The Dean.

Chapter Six

_St. Clare's Hospita__l__, Trenton NJ_

Greg House didn't like to be board. He had an active mind and it craved stimulation. If stimulation wasn't handed to him he had no problems creating it. He'd already examined the ER, its waiting room, its staff and its patients. He'd sneered at the first, scowled at the second, intimidated the third and diagnosed the fourth (to his own satisfaction). There wasn't anything left to do but wait for Cuddy and her boring injuries to be released, and they were taking their sweet time about that.

House twirled his cane.

"Don't do it House."

"Don't do what?"

"Whatever it is you're plotting," Wilson had managed to find a coffee shop and some art magazines and was having no problem distracting himself. "Control yourself or go home." Wilson looked at his watch "Don't you have clinic duty?"

"The funniest thing happened today, the warden didn't show up at the gulag."

"I'm not covering for you." Wilson warned him.

"I don't recall asking you to."

"Like you ever have to ask him."

They turned around. She'd pulled her hair back in a pony tail exposing the damage to her face clearly and there were already an impressive representation of colors on display.

"_Nice shiner_." House breathed out in a tone of admiration he usually reserved for her breasts.

"Thanks, you should see the other guy."

xxxxxxxxxx

There was some wrangling over the seating arrangements in Wilson's car. House wanted to drive. Wilson wanted House to find his own way back to Princeton since he'd found his own way to Trenton. House wanted Wilson to do something physically impossible; Wilson wanted House to do the same with "Jam On"

Cuddy just crawled in the back seat and tried to relax while the boys fought. It was one of their blow-off-steam fights, so interfering was a bad idea. She opened her little brown pharmacy bag and inspected the bottle within. There were magic words printed right on the label. "As needed for pain." She looked up at the headache about to happen that was House and Wilson shouting insults and waving their hands at each other. "As needed for pain…."

"Hey, whatcha you got there?" House had suddenly appeared in the passenger seat staring over the backrest at her. Wilson was driving and the car was moving, when had that happened?

"Uhm…." She blinked at the words on the label, "percodan." She said slowly.

"Mama's got the good candy!"

She held the bottle close and frowned at House. "Take your own damn narcotics."

"Selfish." House made a face at her, "Keep your drugs, I'll take this instead." He plucked the envelope off her lap.

"Those are mine too." Cuddy said and knew she should be upset, those were her confidential medical records and she was sure that House reading them was something that should make her angry…. but it was hard to get excited about it when she felt so…. warm and drowsy and wrapped in soft cotton.

"It's ok I'm your Doctor." House lied reassuringly.

"House!"

"Whatever," She closed her eyes.

"Is she ok?" Wilson asked.

"She's blissed out on meds at the moment. "

"Seriously?"

"Ha. Ha. Anybody ever tell you that you drive like a sixteen year old girl? "

"Anybody ever tell you that your run your mouth off like---"

Cuddy dozed.

xxxxxxxxx

Wilson tried to concentrate on driving but House was being typical House. Reading Cuddy's medical file out loud and commenting on her attending physician's notes, "crappy" the nurses observations "obvious and crappy", and the choice of medication, "the good candy" the only thing he approved of.

"Does it say anything in there about the police?" Wilson asked as they got closer to Princeton.

"Yup, she _requested_ a cop, one Lt. Watts, public relations," Wilson raised his eyebrows at that. "Apparently he told the ER she was telling the truth about getting robbed."

"That makes sense." Wilson said slowly. "She always makes sure that police and fire brass get invited to the big benefit parties. I'm sure she's got contacts."

"I suppose." House slid the files back into the envelope and turned and tossed them on the sleeping Cuddy. "She knows the secret handshakes."

"But," Wilson prompted picking up on Houses unsatisfied tone.

House turned in his seat and looked at her to make sure she was out. "She's too close to this to be rational." He said turning back with a sigh. "You know how she gets, the closer she is to something—"

"This isn't about a patient House."

"Yeah, right" House made a disgusted face. "It doesn't have to be about a patient for her to lose her objectivity and perspective and when that happens… "He reached into his pocket popping a vicodin. "All bets are off, you remember Javier and Tracey?"

"Alfredo and Emma and yeah I do." Wilson shot House an appraising stare. "She was—"

"Scary." House said flatly.

"She was acting like _you._"

House shook his head.

"Uh yeah she was." Wilson asserted. "She was pushing the envelope, which is what you always do. She was thinking creatively, she was taking huge risks."

"_But she wasn't objective._"

"So what, who is? You think I don't try just a little bit harder when my patients are kids then when they're seniors; you think that doesn't affect my choices, my judgments?"

"Of course---"House sighed sharply and ran his hand down his face. "Look, I'm objective about my patients. We agree on that right?"

"Mostly, yeah. I can accept the supposition."

House glared at him. "I take risks with their testing and their care and in some cases their treatment. _Mostly_ they get a diagnosis and get better or not depending on what it is. Not all the time. Sometimes they die, I don't like it, but I'm objective and _I can get over it_." He was silent a moment "As long as they get a diagnosis." He'd seen Esther's name rising in Wilsons mind and he needed to stop that train right there.

"When Cuddy is intellectually committed to something she can take most anybody, you don't get to be the Dean of Medicine by being a sap, and she evaluates risk like no hospital administrator I've ever seen, Which is one reason _we_ are still employed after that Vogler fiasco."

There was open admiration in Houses voice and Wilson glanced sharply at his friend.

"But," House growled no longer admiring "she gets _emotionally_ committed to something… She's still just as smart, just as tough, but her ability to appreciate risk goes in the toilet. She doesn't push the edge of the envelope Wilson she jumps off the damned flap."

"And you think she's too close to this; that she'll do something stupid?"

"No I think she's gonna do something smart, and risky and it's gonna blow up in what's left of her face."

They were silent for the rest of the drive.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: Sorry about the delay on the update. This was a bitchy chapter to write. House, Wilson and Cuddy refuse to stay on plot when in a confined space together.


	7. Chapter 7 Temper Tantrums

Title Loose Ends

Chapter: 7 Temper Tantrums

Description: Tritter throws some mild abuse Cuddy's way after she's robbed. She throws it back harder. Rated T for Violence, mild language and adultish themes.

A/N: More updates this week. Thanks so much to all my readers and reviewers, I appricate it!

Chapter Seven

Dawn woke her, pushing yellow light at her eyelids in a way that was impossible to ignore. After that the headache and taste of old dried socks in her mouth pretty much guaranteed that the whole being wide awake thing was going to continue so she gave up and opened her eyes.

She wasn't in her bedroom. That nearly brought on a panic attack until she recognized the guest room in her house. She lay for a moment and tried to remember what had happened. She'd been robbed, she'd been beat up, she'd been ignored by the cops and taunted by Tritter, and she'd gone to St. Clare's and…. She didn't remember much. House and Wilson had been going to take her home, they must have, but she didn't remember it at all.

Cuddy sat up slowly, her bruises protesting, she heard a crackling and frowned down at a piece of paper that had been pinned to her sweatshirt. Like the notes kindergarten teachers attached to their pupils. There was familiar block writing on it and someone had helpfully pinned it upside down so she could read it without taking it off.

_Cuddy: _

_We counted the pills and we don't think you managed to overdos__e__ on the Percodan_.

What the hell? She hadn't overdosed. She thought back, the nurse had given her two pills and she'd taken… it said as needed for pain and House and Wilson were being so annoying---

_Looks like you only took six__ s__till call when you get up and let Wilson know you're not dead. He's a worry wart. _

The handwriting changed here.

_I'm not going to attempt to defend myself because I know you know that House is House. I would still __appreciate__ a call though. House and I were going to stay and make sure you were all right but one of my pat__i__ents is__n't doing well and__ House got a case. Guy has __hematidrosis and__ normal __blood__ pressure?!__ W__e turned the ringer off on your land line and your cell phone. Don't come into the hospital until you__'__re feeling better and please be careful with the meds. _

Another change in handwriting,

_Yeah, __lit__e__weigh__t,__ leave the hard__stuff to the professional__s_

An untidy scrawl resolved itself as House, with a tiny M.D. at the end followed by Wilson's simple James.

Cuddy smiled, for what felt like the first time in years, but stopped when her face reminded her that she was bruised and bruises hurt. It was nice to know she had friends, or she amended one friend and whatever the hell House was.

XXXXXXX

They must have stayed with her a while because there were notes everywhere. House had left a huge one on the bottle of Percodan that said ONE AT A TIME. Wilson had left a note with the number of his cleaning lady and a grocery store that delivered on her kitchen counter. House had left one on her makeup bag that suggested she'd need a trowel. They both left notes about cold packs and soft food and not doing any work.

_No rest for the wicked though_, Shower, cold packs, oatmeal--with sugar damn it! And she turned her phones on and checked her messages, which were the usual build up of small crisis that happened whenever she was away from work. Feeling more like herself then she had since… had it only been two nights ago? She called Wilson.

"Glad you're alive." He sounded tired and distracted

"How's your patient?"

"Still dying"

"I'm sorry about—"

"You don't have to apologize."

"I was expressing sympathy for your patient. But" she sighed "I am sorry for dragging you into that mess yesterday."

"Tritter's already been to your office once this morning." He said anxiously "He showed up yesterday too."

"Don't worry about Tritter," that Tritter was actively seeking her out meant that it would be that much easier to lure him into the web she was spinning just for him. But it was imperative to keep the other flies out of it. "I mean that, as far as you and House are concerned Tritter doesn't exist."

"What?"

"I'm serious Wilson, stay away from him. I'm going to take care of it, but I can't have you flying off the handle" She carefully didn't say _again_.

"What—"

"You really don't want to know. Trust me."

He hadn't liked it, but he hadn't had time to argue with her. She followed that with a call to House and got his voice mail.

"This is Dr. House" His message said "unless you're dying _right now _I don't care, hang up. Otherwise leave a message with permission for an autopsy."

"House, make sure all your scrips are legit and keep your head down for a week, I know you can do it, you managed it for three whole years before you got tenure. And remember to erase this "

Urgent chores taken care of she went to her home office and pulled a file out of the cabinet. It had one word on the label.

Tritter.

xxxxxx

"It's better to be lucky then smart." Tom Watts told her on the phone. "PPD got a tip about the Gardenia Thieves and picked em up. It has made a lot of people feel very friendly to our local perjuring hospital administrator."

"Thanks I think."

"You need good will from the rank and file and fortunately Tritter is enough of a bastard and has stomped hard on enough toes to have earned a certain… lack of concern for from his fellow officers. They won't _help_ mind you, but nothing you do should backfire, too badly." He added after a moment.

"He's been trying to see me."

"Yeah, he would. He needs to rub your nose in it. Make sure you "learn your lesson', have you decided what you're gonna do?"

"Yup, I've decided I'm going to do my best to further his career."

Tom's laugh was evil. "Remind me never to piss you off."

xxxxxx

Cuddy made it to the hospital by Mid-afternoon. She'd decided against makeup of any kind, there was nothing to be ashamed of. Of course it was hard not react to other people reacting to the blue purple and yellow swelling that was the left side of her face, and she'd retreated to her office as soon as she'd checked in.

The visits started soon after.

Brenda was first, she'd marched in thrown an ice pack on Cuddy's desk cocked an eyebrow at her and blithely announced that House had missed clinic duty the day before, Detective Tritter had been to see her, again and the hospital hadn't burned down while she was gone. Brenda strongly implied that it still wouldn't if Cuddy chose to go back home. Cuddy ignored that and logged on to the computer waving Brenda back to reception.

In the next two hours five department heads and three board members showed up, asked how she felt, expressed their sympathy over the robbery and gave her "a little something", which was inevitably an ice pack, if they were medical professionals or a potted plant if they weren't.

By 6pm it was as if she'd never left and had always looked like that. House had come in wrangling with his team about the ethics of giving high blood pressure to someone who didn't have it. She'd let them argue and told House he was free to give the guy high blood pressure as long as he did it the normal way, with junk food and poor exercise.

House had flensed her with his gaze, commented that he'd "gotten the message" and limped out sending his team out for cheeseburgers.

Wilson had shown up soon after wanting to talk about Tritter, which was the last thing she wanted to do.

"It's for your own good." She told him trying to kill the conversation. It didn't work.

"Yeah, I'm not involved." He was angry.

"Yes you are," She gave him a humorless smile Wilson angry was a bigger headache then House. "That's why you have to stay out of it."

"That makes no sense at all."

"Ok, How about this, I'm your boss, I'm telling you not to interfere in something, that's an order."

"Right, because you are the only person who can handle this, Jesus Christ! Cuddy have you looked in a mirror today? The last time you tried to manage Tritter you ended up perjuring yourself and sending House on a vacation with vicodin for two months!"

"First," She ground out through clenched teeth as she stood. "I am the person who is going to handle this, I will not have Tritter interfering with the smooth running of my hospital again, and that means that you and that other idiot go nowhere near him!" Now she was yelling, it felt good.

"Oh I'm sure he'll leave us alone now that the mean boss lady is after him, you were so effective last time!" Wilson was shouting now too.

Cuddy felt her temper snap, there was a silvery little twang in her ears as all her inhibitions and judgment got out of the way of the rage.

"You nincompoop!" She bellowed It was her father's worst insult and in times of dire stress it simply escaped. "I would have had Tritter demoted and transferred in _two days _if you hadn't had done your stupid Benedict Arnold impression! House wouldn't have had to fake his way through rehab like a big baby and I wouldn't have had to pay off a judge and then lie on the stand to get it to work!" She wasn't yelling now, she was screaming, right in Wilson's face. She had good view when he went white with the accusation.

"Thanks for telling me!" He said after a moment controlling his voice with effort. "If I'd known you had some grand plan I would have just taken it while Tritter destroyed my life, and my practice, which I might add_ I did_"

He was standing so close to her now she could feel his breath when he spoke though she could barely see him through the red haze that fogged her eyes.

"I'd have stood back and done nothing while House went off the deep end, trying to cut little girls into bits, beating up his employee's physically and his boss emotionally, who was that again oh yeah YOU!" His voice was a knife edge and dripping contempt. "You were handling that _so well_."

Then House was standing between them, pushing them apart. Saying something Cuddy couldn't understand through the ringing of her pulse in her ears. A moment later she was sitting in her chair with an icepack on the back of her neck and another on her face and she was alone, again.


	8. Chapter 8 Spy and CounterSpy

Title Loose Ends

Description: Tritter is mean, Cuddy is plotting to destroy him, so are House and Wilson…

Chapter 8: Spy and Counter Spy.

A/N ugh they start in with the naughty language this chapter so be aware (in the boys defense they are very upset.)

Chapter Eight

House was whistling as he hustled Wilson to the elevator.

"Shut the fuck up House." Wilson spat "I'm not done talking to Cuddy yet!"

House grinned but said nothing his blue eyes dancing as he kept a firm grip on the back of Wilson's jacket until the elevator doors closed.

"I mean it! That conversation wasn't finished." Wilson's eyes were still shooting sparks. "there're some things I need to tell that—" the inarticulate sounds coming from Wilsons throat suggested to House that his friends internal censor was trying desperately to squelch the words evil-two-faced-bitch-queen-from-hell and not completely succeeding.

"And people say I'm the mean one." House pulled a resisting Wilson off the elevator when the doors opened on the fourth floor and dragged him down the hall toward his office. "Come on. The kids should be back with some trans-fats by now. You need to eat, keep up your energy. Don't worry though; you get to keep custody of me in the divorce."

"I don't want to—what?"

"Congratulations, you've broken your own record for relationship sabotage." House pushed Wilson into a chair in the conference room where Cameron and Foreman were already settled eating burgers. "He just broke up with Cuddy." He told them. "Give him a Big Mac."

"I didn't—" Cameron started

"Know you and Cuddy were—" Foreman continued

"We aren't, weren't, she's a---. He's having delusions." Wilson snarled in Houses direction.

"Yeah right, that's why I just had to turn the hose on you two."

"Can I talk to you in my office please, Dr. House." Wilson asked formally still shaking with rage.

"All right fine, just remember" He leaned down and picked up a MacDonald's bag from the table as he limped toward their balcony. "It's not me your mad at."

xxxxx

Once they hit the fresh air of the balcony Wilson relaxed. He couldn't help himself. The air in the hospital was recycled, cleaned, pressed, purified and dead. The outside air was polluted by exhaust fumes and all the other vile things that made modern life possible, but sick as it was, it was still live air.

He took a deep lungful of it and let it out slowly. House leaned on the wall and munched on french fries.

"How much of that did you hear?"

"Most of the good stuff I think, I came in as soon as she called you a nincompoop. That's a serious word in Cuddy-speak, it means I'm-so-angry-I'm-gong-to-kill-you-because-the-paperwork-to-fire-you-will-take-too-long. " House grinned through the French fries "I've only heard her use it twice in almost ten years."

"Do you know what she has planned?"

"Me?" House looked at Wilson in surprise "No, I'm the one who cuts babies in half, punches handsome Australian doctors for being naturally blond and makes fun of women who can't conceive. She told me to stay out of the way."

"And you're going too?"

"She's my boss. There are times when it's prudent to just let her handle things. Oh come on, there are." He told Wilson's look of incredulity.

"You're the one who said it was going to blow up in her face!"

"It's her face."

"I don't know which one of you is worse!" Wilson was angry again.

"Oh bite me." House rolled his eyes. He'd put up with Wilson's temper tantrum because Wilson hardly ever tantrumed. But there was a limit to the amount of emotional self indulgence he'd let anyone—even his best friend—get away with for long. "You're pissed she didn't tell you she was plotting against Tritter before, didn't bring you in on it. To be fair," House said grudgingly pulling a cheeseburger out of the sack, "you were the subject of a criminal investigation at the time, tipping you off could have made things worse if the cops found out, shame on her protecting you like that."

Wilson's temper deflated some more, he kept forgetting that the persecution Tritter put him through had had potentially deadly career consequences, not just for House but for him. Even if he'd been proven innocent, as he in fact was, a public accusation carried in the press would have rendered him un-employable.

"Now you know she's plotting again and she's still not letting you in on the fun. Kind of kills the Knight- in-Shining-Armor fantasy when the Damsel-in-Distress insists on rescuing herself."

"This isn't about me trying to rescue her or anyone else! "

"House!" Chases called from House's office "I got what you wanted."

"Be right there," House gave Wilson a devilish look "tired of your knight-in-shining armor complex?"

Wilson closed his eyes and leaned on the balcony rubbing his forehead. "the dragons are bigger than they used to be."

"Oh you're just whiny 'cause you've graduated from the easy garden variety monsters like dying people and insecure women to the big scary boss monsters like rescuing Cuddy from Tritter, or me from Cuddy or Tritter or me." House grinned and started back to his office "How about a lesson on how to be a sneaky interfering bastard, more gadgets less clanking?"

"You're going to interfere, even though she told you not too?"

"Have we met?"

"You just said---"

"Everybody lies."

xxxxx

The flowers were a nice touch, "Narcissus" House said looking at them blue eyes gleaming. "In the language of flowers it means… egotist, perfect."

"Thought you'd like that," Chase grinned which made him look about seven years old, "but this" He held out a slim box "Is the real treasure.

"Behold a working fountain pen!" House extracted it and held it up to Wilson's examination as if it were very precious. "I've wanted one of these for ages, something that could easily be left laying around the Dean of Medicines office for weeks—"

"Uh—box says 10 days at most, 8 if she talks a lot."

"Cuddy's verbal diarrhea is chronic, I give it 5, but that should be enough for this handy dandy microphone, recorder and most important of all—" He pulled a tiny ear-bud out of the box and inserted it. "Transmitter, Chase here will present Dr. Cuddy with these lovely flowers-"

"I'm not doin it!"

"And at the same time he will drop this pen on her coffee table, who notices a spare pen? It even works." House was clearly thrilled with the idea. "I told you that right?"

"You're going to bug her office." Wilson was impressed.

"With actual working spy stuff! How else are we gonna to keep up with the evil 'get-tritter' plan she refuses to tell us about?"

"Uhhh you want to spy on Cuddy and Tritter." Chase asked looking alarmed.

"I promise not to bring up your name to immigration."

"It's just… Tritter's in her office now, I saw him going in when I got back."

House slammed his cane against the wall in frustration, "foiled a-fucking-gain!"

xxxxxx

A/N: Next chapter Tritter Vs Cuddy.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Loose Ends

Chapter Nine: Tritter

Description: Tritter is mean, mean people suck. Cuddy (with a side of House & Wilson) trying to make sure meanness is rewarded.

Disclaimer: Even if I forget to put the note up I still don't own and realize no profits from this story or these characters… well other than the lovely emotional profits of reviews, which are better than money anyway (really!)

A/N this takes place at the same time as Chapter 8. (Duh)

Chapter Nine

_First things first, remember__ to breath__e_

Cuddy took a gulp of air feeling her rage try to strangle her with it and expelled it again in a rush.

_Y__ou can do better than that, remember test prep? __Breathe__ in and out deep,__ even__ and__ steady. _

And she did, leaning back crushing the ice pack against the back of her neck so it aimed welcome cold at her sizzling central nervous system. Holding the other ice pack to her eye and thinking just about breathing for a few minutes feeling her pulse settle slowly back to normal.

But her mind kept replaying the fight, remembering just what she'd yelled, speculating on how much House had heard, trying to decide if even Wilson's normally placid temper would be able to get past being called on the carpet for ruining a plan he'd had no knowledge of. There was no way she was going to get out of apologizing for _that_.

She straightened up with a wince and set the cold packs with the others she'd stacked on a tray on her desk, flicking through the budget report on her computer. She let her mind run through the Oncology Departments wish list matching that against what she could steal from other departments' budget requests this quarter. She was tempted, as always, to take cash from Diagnostics, but since House paid no attention to his budget, assuming, correctly damn him, that if he kept his patients mostly alive she'd find a way to pay for it, she had to keep it stable.

Her phone rang, startling her, glancing down she saw the reception extension flash and glancing up she saw Tritter. The phone cut off abruptly.

"How are you doing Dr. Cuddy?" His voice had the deep gravely timber of the smoker and he was still chewing the nicotine gum. The smug half smile still on his face.

_Remember__ y__ou are sad, tired, and afraid of him! **DON'T** __be happy to see him because you are about to have his ass handed to him__ with a shiny bow__. You can still blow this. _

"What do you want?'

He stepped further into the room, into her space.

"To see how you are."

She stood up with a wince, and turned her left cheek toward him.

"This is how I am." She sat down abruptly, broke eye contact "Now, get out or I call security."

Tritter sprawled in the chair in front of her desk, she could feel his gaze raking her but she did her best to ignore it. They spent several minutes that way, her not looking, him sitting smiling wider and wider as the silence stretched and she could tell her hands were starting to tremble on the keys of her computer. She pressed her lips tight, turned reached for the phone.

Tritter leaned forward smoothly and pulled it out of her grasp.

"It's not very polite, talking on the phone when you have company."

"I don't have company, I have an asshole who barged into my office uninvited." her voice shook but she didn't lean over, didn't attempt to grab the phone, and didn't slap him in his smug face. "That means you're an intruder, give me the phone so I can call security." She let herself meet his eyes and then dropped her own again.

"But you did invite me, Dr. Cuddy. You called 911."

"Two days ago, amazing response time you have."

"I thought I explained that, it's hard to take a woman who would perjure herself for a drug addict seriously."

"You're right, I'm making it up." She glared at him for a moment from her contused face.

"The criminal justice system has many calls on its time,"

_Oh are you ever going to find that out. _She didn't dare look up at him. She kept her eyes down, as if she were guilty instead of gloating.

"Did you really think your actions wouldn't have consequences?"

"I knew they would." Now she met his eyes."They've saved lives. Dr. House has saved lives, Dr. Wilson has saved lives. It's what they do." She held out her hand, letting it tremble slightly. "Give me my phone."

He set the phone down on his side of the desk, out of her reach so she'd have to get up or lean close to him to get it. She left it there.

"The people who broke into your house and violated your security were probably drug addicts. It's horrible what an addict will do to get a fix. You're lucky you weren't raped, or killed." He stood up, looking satisfied. "I hope the bruising goes away, soon."

She said nothing, just stared at him letting him see her shiver a little.

He was smiling when he walked out.

And now she was really shaking. She buried her face in her hands letting herself bleed out the tension this way. It had been so easy; and now she had the one thing she hadn't had last time, leverage. She picked up the innocent looking fountain pen sitting on her desk, the one Lt. Watts had sent her just that afternoon, the one that was also a transmitter and, most importantly, a tape recorder and clicked it off.

_Gotcha_

xxxxx

A/N: There are probably about three chapters left, I hope to finish it before the new season starts on Tuesday and it all gets torpedoed.


	10. Chapter 10: The Last Chapter

Title: Loose Ends

Chapter 10: The Last Chapter.

Disclaimer, No, not mine either.

Chapter 10

**"**What's the plan?"

"Why do I always have to have the plan?" House complained. He and Wilson lounged in the oncologists' office eating the last of the fries.

"You're the mastermind." Wilson said.

"Am not." House grabbed a handful of the remaining fries and stuffed them into his mouth belligerently.

"Are too." Wilson leaned back; he had no appetite, which was always a good thing when House was around.

"Not much we can do right now." House gave Wilson a sideways look as he picked up a fry. "Of course you could wander down to Cuddy's office and apologize and at the same time—"

"I'm not doing it."

"Which part?" House cocked his head to the side, his full attention on Wilson. But Wilson was one of the few people who could stand it.

"Either, none." Wilson said flatly. "I'm not dropping off your flowers even if they _are_ a veiled insult, I'm not bugging her office for you and I'm not going to apologize."

"You're not bugging her office for _us. _Probably not much point now anyway, besides the general delight of spying on ones boss."

"For the ten thousandth time I'm begging you House, get a hobby, one that won't get you fired or arrested."

House picked up Wilsons phone and dialed. "Have to do everything myself." He complained.

"Yeah, yeah tell it to someone who cares."

"Is she still in." House snapped "No," He said slowly "This is Dr. House, Brenda. I'm looking for Dr. Cuddy. You remember her, short, dark hair, face like a punching bag? Uh-huh thank you."

"I take it the truce is off?"

"Yup, we are back up to def-con four." House stood up and rummaged in the box the pen had come in. "Here, see if you can pick us up from up here." He tossed a small ear bud at Wilson.

Wilson made a face but popped it into his ear anyway.

"Can you hear me?" House spoke into the pen

"You're still in the room House."

xxxx

House was just in time to intercept Cuddy. She'd cleared her desktop and was turning off her computer when he managed to limp in juggling the flowers, his cane and his temper. He was reminded, whenever he tried to maneuver something that needed both hands, just how crippled he really was and he hated being reminded.

"What not going to help the poor guy with the cane?" He barked as he dropped the potted flowers onto her coffee table with a clatter and plopped himself onto the sofa. Several people had tried to help him on the way in; he'd had to restrain himself from smacking them with the cane accidentally-on-purpose.

Cuddy did not leap up to assist him. She never did. "Where," She asked looking around.

"Nice." House pulled a vicodin out of his pocket and swallowed it.

"Only person in my office, besides me, is an asshole. What do you want House?" She bitched at him.

House pressed his lips into a thin line to keep from grinning at her. He wondered sometimes if she knew how grateful he was whenever she dismissed his leg. He hoped like hell she didn't.

"World peace?" He bitched back.

"I'll work on that."

"Or you could make up with Wilson."

"I think the world peace thing is more likely." She said rubbing her forehead and looking tired.

"Or you could tell me what happened with Tritter."

"I told you to stay out of it"

"And I ignored you. Nothing really new there," Cuddy slumped over her desk looking forlorn. "And don't pull the Damsel-In-Distress act with me, I'm not Wilson."

"For which I thank God hourly, one of each of you is enough."

"You know you want to tell me." He wheedled "Talk!" He picked up his cane rapping it on the floor. "Five cents the Doctor is In."

"If I give you a shiny quarter will you go out?"

"Cuddy—"

"House, I don't want to talk about it."

"I do."

"I don't care!"

"Listen, Cuddy" He tried to keep his voice even but it was hard, and unleashing his temper, while satisfying, was not going to make this go any faster. Cuddy wasn't afraid of his temper. Sometimes he thought she _liked_ his temper, "my leg hurts, I'm sure your face hurts, you wanna go home, I wanna go home, at the same time we both know that I'm going to harass you until you spill the beans about the plan one way or another so can we just skip to the part where you give in?"

"You won't like it."

"I'm pretty sure I won't, but if it helps I'm much less likely to screw up your plan if I know what it is."

"Fine," She sighed. "I saw Tritter—"

"Know that."

"And tomorrow I'm going to be in meetings all day. We are getting a new head of security for the Hospital and Tritter is getting promoted."

And then Cuddy smiled and refused to say another word.

Xxxxx

The next afternoon Cuddy made her way through the hospital introducing her newest department head to his colleagues. She'd saved Diagnostics and Oncology for last and was relieved to find Wilson and House together in House's office. She only wanted to have to do this once, and they both deserved to know.

"Dr. House, Dr. Wilson." She waved at the tall fit looking man by her side. "This is Paul Bothwell. He's taking over security for the hospital."

"Nice to meet you." Wilson said ignoring Cuddy and shaking the other man's hand. "House, I've gotta go."

Cuddy closed the door and stood with her back against it shaking her head. "Nope, we need to have a little talk."

"Nothing I want to discuss with you right now Dr. Cuddy."

"Tough," She glared at him.

"Does this mean your explaining the brilliant plan?" House asked raking Bothwell with his eyes, "And did you know your new head of security has no legs?"

"House!" Wilson looked appalled.

"Yes and yes." Cuddy had warned Bothwell to expect neither tact nor tolerance from House, and by her new department heads grin that wasn't a problem. "Dr. Singer removed his legs two years ago when he was in a car accident."

"Police chase" the tall man said and shrugged.

"Chaser or chasee'?"

"Chaser, I was a lieutenant in swat, until the accident. Then I became a "Public Outreach Officer."

"Fingerprinting little kids at the mall?"

Bothwell rolled his eyes and nodded. "It's not all that bad, but it's not what I'm best at. Plus it was a bit of a paper-job. I didn't quite have my twenty years in and I was already a lieutenant so they had to create the position at that grade,"

"I've been talking with Mr. Bothwell for a while about taking over here."

House, predictably, got it first. "So you retire and come to work here with what I'm sure is a hefty salary, and the lieutenant level position of Kiddy Cop is now available."

"I have it on good authority that Detective Tritter is going to be promoted into that position." Cuddy's lips twitched.

Wilson, who was still catching up, saw it all of a sudden. Tritter who loved power and hated people, sitting in a shiny uniform, having to deal with a never ending stream of kids and their parents and stupid questions and it was a promotion. "Oh my god." His eyes widened.

House's grin was unfeigned. "Like never ending clinic duty."

"Thank you." Cuddy said softer than normal. "It wasn't easy to arrange, Paul has been willing to come over for a while. And I've wanted him too ever since you convinced that guy to shoot you, twice."

"I don't get me shot, other people shoot me." House defended himself.

Cuddy rolled her eyes and ignored the outburst. "Captain Ramsey at Princeton PD has been less… amenable to my strong suggestion for his replacement. So I convinced him that Detective Tritter was becoming too focused on personal issues and suggested a change of duties."

She pulled the spy pen out of her pocket and House and Wilson both stiffened.

"How did you find that? I hid it in your couch!" House burst out.

"You _what_?"

Bothwell pulled a radio out of his pocket and quietly asked someone to find the transmitter pen hidden in Dr. Cuddy's sofa.

"How come you have a pen like that?" Wilson asked trying to distract her from her outrage at their invading her privacy. "I mean we have a pen like that because you were squeezing us out, _again_."

Cuddy screwed the ear bud for her pen into the cap and twisted it. They could clearly here a conversation.

_"I don't have company,__"_ Cuddy's voice said "_I have an asshole who barged into my office uninvited. That means you're an intruder, give me the phone so I can call security."_

_"__But you did invite me, Dr. Cuddy. You called 911."_

_"Two days ago, amazing response time you have."_

_"I thought I explained that, it's hard to take a woman who would perjure herself for a drug addict seriously."_

She twisted the cap again and the playback ended. "There's more it's all pretty much like that though."

"I don't think that's legal," Wilson pointed out slowly.

"Neither is bugging my office!"

"House's idea," Wilson gave up his friend instantly.

"Wasn't working anyway." House muttered. "I should have left it on the table. All we can hear is when someone sits on the couch."

"And it didn't have to be legal; I'm not trying to send Tritter to jail."

"I still wish you would." House said.

"If he had been trying to prosecute you for something you weren't guilty of maybe I would. But as it is, he's going to be holding sticky little hands for the next few years while he dreams about retirement. "

"You have to admit it's elegant." Wilson said at last. "Was this what you were trying to do before?" he asked hesitantly. Not wanting to re-open the fight but wanting to know.

"Yes, but it was much harder. Tritter… was still working inside the lines at the time and you" She glared at House "Were clearly outside them. Which reminds me," She glanced at her watch. "I have another meeting and _you_ have clinic duty. And we will never discuss this again."

And she swept out her highly amused new head of security following in her wake.

"Well I was hoping for something more violent myself." House said leaning back in his chair.

"I don't know," Wilson said slowly, "Tritter defines himself as being a cop, to make it so that to be that he has to do something that will make him miserable, seems pretty violent to me. But will it keep him out of our hair?"

"Oh I think so." House spun his cane in his hands. "She's impressive as hell in a temper. Tritter isn't crazy he won't risk another Cuddy-smack."

"You do." Wilson pointed out.

"But I don't think Tritter gets turned on by being yelled at by angry female authority figures."

House grinned and spun his cane and thought about how he was going to try and sneak surveillance equipment into her office, and how he could ensure being caught doing it.

The End

A/N: Yikes, that was harder than I thought. Thank you to everyone who has been reading along with me. I appreciate your good thoughts, kind reviews and attention.


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